"By being the best you can be, you give others the opportunity to be the best that they are capable of." (anonymous) This is a statement that significantly reflects what we try to achieve in our Enhancement Program at Salesian College.

It is important that our students strive to discover their unique talents and, wherever these talents lie, they are motivated to excel. The Enhancement Program aims to identify and acknowledge our very capable students as well as providing them with additional opportunities to further develop their skills.

At Year 12 we provide students with the opportunity to complete a first year subject with Monash University concurrently with their Year 12 studies. Last year one of our participating students earned a distinction in first year University Mathematics.

At Years 10 and 11 suitable students are able to select a VCE subject for 'accelerated' completion (completing Units 1 & 2 in Year 10 and Units 3 & 4 in Year 11). Additionally, students who excel in Mathematics are provided with opportunities to develop more advanced skills.

At Year 9 students may select Advanced Studies as an elective. The focus of this elective is to encourage students to develop their research skills as well as their ability to present information in a variety of styles.

The Year 8 Enhancement Program selects students for coaching for the Math Games Day at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar; an event in which we have participated for many years, with tremendous success. The unique feature of this competition is that it develops students abilities to problem solve in a spontaneous, rather than routine, manner. Additionally, students who have achieved very high results in Science, undertake a Unit in Electronics in Semester 1 and Electricity in Semester 2, developing practical and theory skills of later relevance to Physics.

Year 7 students have been selected to undertake a Unit on Web Design and we will continue to offer this Unit to other Year 7 groups throughout the year, with an emphasis on the subject area which that particular group excels in.

All these programs have now commenced and are complemented by activities such as The Chess Club and The Tournament of the Minds Problem Solving Competition.

This comprehensive program is provided by the College as an opportunity to encourage each of our students to aim to be the best they can by acknowledging, nurturing and taking pride in the talents which they have been given. The preparedness of our students to accept this challenge enriches the learning environment of Salesian College.

Our Approach
At Salesian College we believe that academically able students benefit from programs that are designed to meet their special needs.  Our approach has been influenced by the research of leading French theorist Francois Gagne who believes that programs should focus, not just on students’ current performance, but on developing their outstanding potential. 

Our ‘Biretta Class’ concept is further based on the belief that academically talented boys will more readily work towards achieving their potential if they are able to access a dynamic, relevant and challenging curriculum in a supportive environment with their intellectual peers.  Recent empirical studies have established that homogenous groupings improves not only the achievement of very able students, but also their aspirations and wellbeing.  In accordance with this research, boys participating in the Biretta Class will be grouped together in their own self-contained Year 7 Homeroom.

Key Aspects of the Biretta Program
In Year 7 in 2010, there will be five mixed ability classes and one ‘Biretta Class’ for a select group of highly academically able boys.  Each of the six classes will contain approximately 27-29 boys.  In many respects, the Biretta Class will operate in very similar fashion to the other Year 7 classes.  Boys in the Biretta Class will study all their core subjects together as a Homeroom (ie Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Italian) in similar fashion to the boys in the five mixed ability Homerooms.

It should be noted that our Biretta Class concept differs significantly from streaming which is usually associated with a whole year level group being allocated to differentiated classes on a sliding scale from the ‘top’ class to the ‘bottom’ class.  The Biretta Class is only one class: all other Homerooms in Year 7 remain mixed ability classes.
Boys in our Biretta Class cover essentially the same syllabus material as other classes. However, academically talented students often display the ability to: 

1. learn new material in much less time than their peers
2. readily retain a quantity of information
3. handle abstract and complex ideas
4. simultaneously focus on a number of tasks.

Consequently, the pace at which the material is undertaken and the depth and breadth of the material covered will be adapted in the Biretta Class so that it is tailored to the needs and capabilities of particularly able students.  Pre-testing will take place at the beginning of units to determine the extent of the boys’ existing knowledge.  Where appropriate, syllabuses will be compacted to permit a range of enrichment and extension activities.  In this way, boys who might otherwise become bored studying material which they might already know, will have the opportunity to learn in a stimulating, fast-moving environment.

The Biretta Class will afford additional opportunities for:

1. independent learning
2. involvement in enrichment and extension activities
3. the development of cognitive skills
4. involvement in special interest clubs and external programs.

A position in the Biretta Class will be offered to boys according a clear selection process with transparent selection criteria. (currently in progress) The Biretta Class concept will extend into Year 8 in 2011, Year 9 in 2012 and Year 10 in 2013.  Please note that participants in the Biretta Class in 2010 will be required to re-apply for entry into the 2011 Year 8 Biretta Class.  Students not in the Biretta Class in 2010 who perform particularly well in Year 7 will be warmly encouraged to apply for entry into the 2011 Year 8 Biretta Class.

Biretta Class Information Session: PPT Download
Biretta Class Application form: PDF Download